Was this one of the planes at the old museum in Franklin, Wi? I think I remember seeing it as a kid, also dated the daughter of an EAA VP in 8th grade.I love the old European theater planes, especially bombers, real terror in the skies for the crews over Nazi strangled Europe.When I fly sometimes my imagination wanders to the missions flown in aircraft not so unlike the Cessna but with the army paying for fuel and maintenance.

My godmother's husband was the Engineer and IIRC the top turret gunner in a B-17 and later a B-24. He flew in the D-Day campaign. (Note planes with the black and white stripes on their wings were part of the D-Day campaign.) A lot of people who served in the Army Air Force were stereotyped as "farm boys from Kansas" - and he literally was.

That's Aluminum Overcast. It tours around the country to small regional airports. They give tours and rides for a small fee (used to maintain the plane). It's worth every penny. An amazing experience to see it in action..

I work in a facility that started out as a B-24 factory here in San Diego. I know there was at least one other B-24 plant, in Texas I think. If there were only two, then I guess there's a 50/50 chance some of the airplanes your acquaintance flew in where built here. (The building I'm in was also, as far as fabrication goes, last used to build Delta rocket fuel and/or oxidizer tanks.)

Indeed. The tours are much less though, and definitely worth it. I was stunned how tight it is inside, considering the long hours the crews spent in there. They let you crawl all over everything and touch anything. Wonderful way to preserve history.